Back again and hungry for more. West Lincoln’s boys and Bogue Chitto’s girls both have state championship dreams as they prepare for Friday’s opening round of the MHSAA Class 1A State Basketball Tournament at Jackson’s Mississippi Coliseum. It’s a return trip for both Lincoln County teams.

Bogue Chitto’s Lady Cats play the H.W. Byers Lady Lions Friday morning at 9 o’clock. West Lincoln’s Bears meet the Biggersville Lions that afternoon at 2:30 p.m. Both local teams absorbed semifinals losses last year so they are eager to make amends.

West Lincoln (31-3) played a beefed-up schedule again this season to prepare the Bears for the state playoffs. They beat Hinds AHS 82-61 Satuday night to win the South Mississippi Tournament in Jack Case Gymnasium. Senior guard Jared Case pumped in 32 points for the Bears. Junior center Sam Bivens scored 19 points. Junior forward Tamarcus London added 12 points and sophomore guard Duane Marshall 11.

Coach Lane Young said his Bears are ready for the challenge. “Since last year, our main goal was go get back to the coliseum. I thought we played OK last week in South State.

“Hopefully, we will play two great games this week,” Young noted. “Everybody needs to play as hard as we can. That makes a big difference.”

Young’s Bears got off to a slow start last in last year’s state tournament game against Coldwater and never recovered in time. Coldwater, runner-up to Biggersville in North State last year, took home the state title.

Asked about Biggersville, Young said, “They have two really good guards who are real athletic.” They are Jalen Gaines, a 5-10 junior, and Daniel Simmons, a 6-1 junior.

Young said the Lions rely on pressure defense. “They will try to pressure us and start off playing us man. If we can get in a half-court offense, we will have a height advantage. We have a 6-5 and 6-7,” referring to Lucas Burris and Bivens.

“They (Lions) like to push it up the floor and we do, too. So it could be a high-scoring game,” Young predicted.

“I think they started four or five seniors last year.” Young continued. “They lost the main part of their team. Those two guards played a good bit for them last year.

“Coach Cliff Little does a good job with them. He won a state championship one time.”

West Lincoln is seeking its first state title since 1982

Guard Darius Clark is one of five seniors on West Lincoln’s squad. The others are Case, Burris, LeKeith Ward and Tamarcus London.

“I’m very excited about going to the state tournament,” said the 6-1 Clark. We want to win state.

Clark said the Bears are a cohesive unit and play hard. “I think we are doing better than what we have been doing in the past few years. We are playing better as a team.”

“Our shooting has improved. Our rebounding from our post players is stronger. Our defense is stronger. We work hard and we work together.”

Clark said the Bears have all the tools necessary to bring home a gold basketball trophy. “We are usually bigger than all the other teams we play. We run and we are fast. That’s a key part of our team.”

The Lady Cats (27-7) were a Cinderella team last year, making the most of a major rebuilding campaign. They encountered a powerful Byers team and lost 75-39. The Lady Lions claimed a second straight state championship.

Coach Christi Terrell, in her ninth season at Bogue Chitto, realized her 200th career win at the school earlier this month. She hopes to win her first state title as a coach. The Lady Cats plan to spend Thursday night in Jackson, due to their early game time.

“We want this to be a fun experience for our girls,” said Terrell. “This is a huge game for us.”

Terrell said Byers has 4 players who average in double digits. They are coached by Jason Thompson. “They are an athletic and experienced team. They are moving up to 2A next year.”

Senior guards Adrienne Wallace and Rheagan Welch lead the Lady Cats. Other seniors are forward Earlnesheia Dillon and guard Lauren Wallace. Junior guard Mattie Avants and freshmen guards Christian Black and Zariah Matthews see most of the playing time. Junior forward Marshonikque Blackwell suffered a torn ACL two weeks ago.

“We are excited to be in the state tournament,” said Wallace. “We have a good team with more experience this year. Byers is tall and fast.”

The Lady Cats lost 69-52 to Region 7-1A rival Hinds AHS in the South State title game last Saturday nigh in BC’s R.L. “Bob” Calhoun Gymnasium. It was the fourth loss to Hinds AHS this season.

Adrienne Wallace scored 15 points in the loss. Avants and Dillon scored 11 apiece.